Burned By Ashes- Dream

Chapter 45- Won

Kelly looked at them as they talked around the fire, she had made them believe that she was back for good, but at first light she would disappear and leave back to the Shadowlands.

This was not easy, she had trained with them, she loved them, but this was more then just them, Rakol was dead and she knew that and Cinder had taken on the Mantle, what would they do, a Fire could never be on the side of the shadows, they cowered from the light, and fire was light. She was the one that could take up the mantle, if they didn't give it to her then she would kill Cinder. Kelly was the next heir to the throne of Shadows, and she had to go and get the mantle back.

Nathan looked at Kia and then at Kelly, Kelly was Rakol's daughter, but Cinder had the Mantle of the Shadows, how would this all end? He turned and looked at Cinder "I know where he is..." he said. Cinder looked at him, what did he mean? Teloki looked at Cinder and then at Nathan. "What do you mean?" Nathan nodded "The Earth holds many memories, men had walked over its surface for centuries and now that I have the element then all of the memories come through me, like a wind or a prick of a thought..." Cinder jumped up "Where..." she stood next to him. "Where is he?" she asked.

Nathan pointed north. "He is waiting for us, someone is with him, someone wreathed in Shadows, we will have to get past them to continue on our way."

Cinder nodded and walked to her horse. "Well, what are we waiting for, come on." Nathan looked at Kelly, but she shook her head and folded her arms. "I. am. Coming." She said and went and mounted her horse.

Nathan nodded and then lifted his head his face showing a wave of shock and wonder. "Nathan, what do you see?" Cinder called to him. Nathan nodded "She is here...Ember, she is here!"

Cinder shook her head "Nathan, she is dissolved into a Shadow, she has no physical essence. "Ash walked over. "Cinder, Ember is here, somehow she survived and has come back to her original form." Cinder looked into the darkness of the woods and saw two green eyes staring at her and she turned to Ash who nodded. "She has come back to you." He whispered.

Suddenly Cinder felt like the world was spiraling out of control as a bright white bird flew out of the darkness and landed on the tree branch above Cinder's head. Before Cinder could look up a flask happened and when she looked up Cinder found a girl looking back at her with her same grey eyes and dark hair. "Ember..." Cinder gasped, and Ember jumped down, before her feet hit the ground Cinder gathered her in a hug. "W...What happened, I destroyed you, you are supposed to be dead...how?" Ember smiled. "I will tell you later, right now we have to get as far away from here as we can." Cinder nodded and Ember grabbed her hand and lead her back towards the others.

Before Cinder could explain anything Kelly and Tayrah grabbed Cinder from her sister and placed her behind them. "Guys, what are you doing?" she asked. Kelly looked at Ember. "Who sent you?" she asked glaring at her former companion. Ember frowned, "Kelly, you know what happened to me, it happened to you as well." Kelly gasped and then slowly grabbed Tayrah's hand and lead her away.

"What was that all about?" Ash asked. Cinder looked at him and went and stood beside their sister. Ash looked at them and then grinning he ran over to Ember and she hugged him, tears streaming down her face. "Em...Is that really you?" he asked. Ember nodded "Yes, I am reborn." Ash looked at Cinder. "How did this happen?" he asked. Cinder shook her head, that was not for her to say.

Kelly and the others stayed back as they hugged and got to know each other. This was not right, Ember was supposed to be dead, Cinder had killed her herself, but here she was right as rain.

Kia looked at Cinder and then went up to her. "Cinder, can I talk to you...alone?" she asked. Cinder looked at her and smiled. "sure...' They walked away from the group and Cinder nodded 'What is it that you wanted to tell me?" she asked. Kia sighed. "Cinder, I know that you have been with the others way longer then I have and now that we have Kelly back we need to find away to get ride of the Shadows for real... Ember, your sister is a Shadow... even if she doesn't have anymore Shadows in her she was still reborn as a shadow, that will never go away, we have to get ride of all of the Shadows for Rakol to go away..."

Kia paused but Cinder didn't act like there was a problem. "Cinder, Ember is a shadow, she is going to die with the others of her kind, she is not going to be here much longer, and I...we feel like it is best that she stays away, she is only going to cause problems for us when we find Rakol." Cinder shook her head "No, she has changed, look at her....does she look like Rakol still has a hold of her mind, Kia I know that you are doing this because that is what you and the others feel is right but she is my sister and I will not just leave her."

Kia nodded "Ok then." She said and walked away, Cinder turned and found that the others where looking at her and she could sense the anger that they had at her decision, Ember was her sister and family stuck together.

Cinder went to the fire and brushed her hand over the coals, the fire responded to her touch and rose higher, grabbing her cloak she wrapped it around her and stared at the flames.

Why was this so hard? She needed to protect her land, but some how she had to get the others to understand. This was not like anything that she had done before and she wondered if all of this was in vain, going and trying to get the shadows to become one, to get her friends to understand the things that she had sworn to protect and to guard, her place was here with her friends but also at her home, she had not seen her family for two years now and what if things had gone down... what if the shadows had made it to the plains and taken over, if that was the case then this was all for nothing.

As she though she felt someone come and sit beside her, turning her head she found Teloki looking at her. "Are you ok? I could feel your thoughts from my tent, what is going on?" he asked. Cinder shook her head "I am fine." She whispered unsure if she really was.

"What is bothering you?" he prodded. Cinder sighed. "I don't know if I can do this... everything, I don't know, with Ember back I feel like things are getting better, first we had Kelly come back to us and now my sister, this is not what he wanted, he needed them and somehow they got away and now I know that he is going to be coming for them..."

As they talked their backs were to the tents, the one thing that they didn't hear or see was Kelly, she grabbed her cloak and one of the extra training daggers and slipped past one tent and then the other. Suddenly she paused and listened. Cinder was talking about her. '...First, we had Kelly come back to us and now my sister, this is not..." Kelly didn't wait to hear more, slipping out into the darkness she embraced the shadows and they guided her through the trees, away from Cinder and all of the memories that held such a harsh moment. As she walked the plants died around her, If Cinder wanted war, they would give it to her. Kelly walked for a while and then sat down on a stump, what would happen? Would he want her back after everything that happened? As she sat there, she wondered where everyone was, it was getting darker and soon she wouldn't be able to see much.

Suddenly a twig snapped from behind her, and Kelly lifted her head. "Who's there?!" she called into the coming darkness. "Daughter?" the voice called to her. Kelly stood walking towards where she had heard the voice and suddenly arms wrapped around her. "Dad?" She said. Rakol looked at her and smiled. "Come on, we have to go, the day will come when we can have our revenge."